Unofficial Aspiring Chefs answer your questions!

I am making a cream of asparagas soup this weekend. Would anyone like to have a video made of how to make the 3 different types of rouxs, a veloute, and the soup? I can make it like a how to type of video.As long as my camera will work lol.

Well certainly not a roux made with butter. The dairy in the butter would burn if you cooked it that long. You can make a really dark roux with vegetable oil because of the higher smoke point, but I still don't know if I'd cook it for an hour. Dark brown roux usually only takes 45 mins.

Oh and this thread is awesome. I'm so tired of seeing ST'ers come in here talking about pop tarts and microwave meals. It's cool to have actual culinary students giving advice. I'm seriously considering going to culinary school after my time in the Navy. Do you guys see classmates who are noticeably older? I mean my 4 year obligation starts when I graduate college this summer, so I'll probably be at least 26 when I go. If so, how do the older students seem to fit in to the mix?

__________________

USNavyBallerUL'd 07 PMR F/S, PM me if interested!#12ItalianBaller“The real test of a man is not how well he plays the role he has invented for himself, but how well he plays the role that destiny assigned to him.”
-Václav Havel

Edit: To be clear, I wasnt meaning with butter. My coonass manager made the most insane cajun food ever and couldnt ever teach me since it was all in his head. But they used oil...in the BFE swamps where people go barefoot and ****.

Hed talk something like this...no joke. Not as bad...but he had his moments.

I don't think officers get the GI bill. We might get something similar, that's a good point though lol.

__________________

USNavyBallerUL'd 07 PMR F/S, PM me if interested!#12ItalianBaller“The real test of a man is not how well he plays the role he has invented for himself, but how well he plays the role that destiny assigned to him.”
-Václav Havel

Well certainly not a roux made with butter. The dairy in the butter would burn if you cooked it that long. You can make a really dark roux with vegetable oil because of the higher smoke point, but I still don't know if I'd cook it for an hour. Dark brown roux usually only takes 45 mins.

Oh and this thread is awesome. I'm so tired of seeing ST'ers come in here talking about pop tarts and microwave meals. It's cool to have actual culinary students giving advice. I'm seriously considering going to culinary school after my time in the Navy. Do you guys see classmates who are noticeably older? I mean my 4 year obligation starts when I graduate college this summer, so I'll probably be at least 26 when I go. If so, how do the older students seem to fit in to the mix?

You can make brown roux with butter, it just has to be clarified first. When it's clarified you are taking out the milk solids.

And it's funny you say that. I have noticed a lot of people from the military go to culinary school. Also, at 19 I am one of the yongest. Most people there are in their low to mid 20's.

Cool. I'd definitely like to apply to NECI when it's getting close to the end of my commitment. I found out that the head of my current college's dining services went there after graduating from here (College of the Holy Cross). He said having already had a 4 year education definitely made him more focused. That's cool though that a lot of prior-military are in that environment. Is it pretty rigorous as far as getting up early and cooking all day?

__________________

USNavyBallerUL'd 07 PMR F/S, PM me if interested!#12ItalianBaller“The real test of a man is not how well he plays the role he has invented for himself, but how well he plays the role that destiny assigned to him.”
-Václav Havel

Green Plantains.
Alot of us folks from Central/S America cook with them. One of my favorite ways to make them into "tostones". Fry some thick pieces. When done take them out and smash flat. Throw them in a bowl with whatever spices you like and toss them around to season everything.

Now my question. I want to try and make like a stuffed plantain or plantain bowl with filling
thinking of taking them and grinding them up into a paste and form them into bite size cups/bowls and them stuffing them with some type of filling(not sure what at this point).
I'm wondering if i need to add anything to the plantain paste to help them stay in whatever form i create before frying them up(maybe even in the oven)?
I've never made them by grinding/smashing pre cooked before so i have no idea if i have to add or counter anything.
Also, since i usually spice them up after cooking would it be cool to throw something into the pre cooked mix?

Green Plantains.
Alot of us folks from Central/S America cook with them. One of my favorite ways to make them into "tostones". Fry some thick pieces. When done take them out and smash flat. Throw them in a bowl with whatever spices you like and toss them around to season everything.

Now my question. I want to try and make like a stuffed plantain or plantain bowl with filling
thinking of taking them and grinding them up into a paste and form them into bite size cups/bowls and them stuffing them with some type of filling(not sure what at this point).
I'm wondering if i need to add anything to the plantain paste to help them stay in whatever form i create before frying them up(maybe even in the oven)?
I've never made them by grinding/smashing pre cooked before so i have no idea if i have to add or counter anything.
Also, since i usually spice them up after cooking would it be cool to throw something into the pre cooked mix?

are you thinking of using like a small tostada shell or using it like a dough for something like empanadas. i saw some where a recipe for a plantain dough, just don't remember the exact ingredients. i deffenetly think they were ripe plantains vs green plantains and some salt, pepper, and i think flour.

Well certainly not a roux made with butter. The dairy in the butter would burn if you cooked it that long. You can make a really dark roux with vegetable oil because of the higher smoke point, but I still don't know if I'd cook it for an hour. Dark brown roux usually only takes 45 mins.

Oh and this thread is awesome. I'm so tired of seeing ST'ers come in here talking about pop tarts and microwave meals. It's cool to have actual culinary students giving advice. I'm seriously considering going to culinary school after my time in the Navy. Do you guys see classmates who are noticeably older? I mean my 4 year obligation starts when I graduate college this summer, so I'll probably be at least 26 when I go. If so, how do the older students seem to fit in to the mix?

when i wnet to school most people were between 20-30 with a few older people thrown in there. a few of the them did fit in well, but a few deffenetly were a little stand offish

Edit: To be clear, I wasnt meaning with butter. My coonass manager made the most insane cajun food ever and couldnt ever teach me since it was all in his head. But they used oil...in the BFE swamps where people go barefoot and ****.

Hed talk something like this...no joke. Not as bad...but he had his moments.

that would be a black/ SUPER dark roux. it takes along time on super low heat with lots of stirring. we did a short cut at school where we baked the flour for a bit at like 250-300 stirring it until it was nice and brown

are you thinking of using like a small tostada shell or using it like a dough for something like empanadas. i saw some where a recipe for a plantain dough, just don't remember the exact ingredients. i deffenetly think they were ripe plantains vs green plantains and some salt, pepper, and i think flour.

making it into a dough to create like a mini bite size tostada shell. I called it a cup. Obviously it wouldn't be as thin and crispy as a tostada shell but i think you kinda get the picture.
Then stuff a little goodness into it and serve

we make a dough at my work that is what you are looking for. i'll try and get the recipe on wednesday. we use a mini muffin tin to get the correct size, we roll it out thin cut it with a circle cutter and then bake it in the greased tin

that would be a black/ SUPER dark roux. it takes along time on super low heat with lots of stirring. we did a short cut at school where we baked the flour for a bit at like 250-300 stirring it until it was nice and brown

Now my question. I want to try and make like a stuffed plantain or plantain bowl with filling
thinking of taking them and grinding them up into a paste and form them into bite size cups/bowls and them stuffing them with some type of filling(not sure what at this point).

One thing you could try is this: cut the plantain's, on the bias, about 1/2" thick. Deep fry them until the interior starts to soften. Take them out, and using an inverted coffee cup or ramekin, press the plantain around the edge, creating a bowl shape, pressing the plantain so that it ends up being about 1/4" thick. Drop it back in the deep fryer until they get golden and crispy; drain off the oil and season immediately with salt (and maybe some fresh lime juice, to give it a little twist). Let me know how that works, we've done something similar at school, only we pressed them flat into little pancake shapes.